


The One Where Chandler Falls off the Tightrope

by GeckoGirl89



Category: Friends (TV)
Genre: Alternate Season/Series 04, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Based on a Tumblr Post, Chandler POV, Crushes, Extended Metaphors, F/M, Ficlet, First Kiss, Fluff, Hopeful Ending, Introspection, Snowball Fight
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-25
Updated: 2016-12-25
Packaged: 2018-09-11 23:06:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9039497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GeckoGirl89/pseuds/GeckoGirl89
Summary: When it came to Monica, Chandler had always walked on this thin tightrope between friendship and something else. Sometimes, he wobbled on the edge.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Based on this post from otpprompts (http://otpprompts.tumblr.com/): _Imagine your OTP having a snowball fight when Person A tackles Person B into the snow and realizes he/she has feelings for Person B. Person A then leans down for a kiss._ I altered the scenario slightly to make it fit this pairing better.
> 
> This fic takes place during season 4, and it references scenes with a lot of Chandler/Monica subtext from 3.06 (TOW The Flashback), 3.25 (TOW at the Beach), and 4.01 (TOW The Jellyfish).
> 
> This story has a somewhat open ending, but I imagine Chandler and Monica's relationship progressing in a similar way it did in early season 5 after this fic takes place.

When it came to Monica, Chandler had always walked on this thin tightrope between friendship and something else. Sometimes, he wobbled on the edge.

Like that time when he had hugged her in a bathrobe and told her she was the most beautiful woman he had seen in real life.

Or that time when he had offered to marry her if they were both still single at forty.

Or that time earlier this year when Chandler had actually felt a little insulted when Monica had laughed at the idea of him being her boyfriend.

Fine, _maybe_ he had a little, teeny tiny, totally insignificant crush on her for a while now. But it didn't mean he would ever consider doing anything about it. She was his friend and Ross's little sister.

A few months ago, she had said that he would always be the guy who peed on her to help alleviate her pain from a jellyfish sting. Monica had never looked at him in a romantic way, and she never would.

But somehow, none of that seemed to matter now.

A moment ago, they had been playing in a snowball fight with their other friends, the men vs. women. The game had been to strike out your opponents by hitting them each with a snowball three times. Ross had just been eliminated from the game, and Joey and Chandler decided that their best strategy was for Chandler to try to get Monica out of the game since she was their toughest opponent while Joey attempted to fend off both Phoebe and Rachel at once.

Chandler had chased after Monica, attempting to throw snowballs at her, but she dodged him expertly and ran behind a small patch of trees. She had shoved him, and somehow Chandler had ended up falling on top of her.

And now here they were. Chandler had tiptoed on the tightrope before, occasionally swaying, but managing to stay upright. Now, he had stumbled and was hurtling through the air, waiting for the crash.

He's spent way too long, just frozen on top of her, gazing into Monica's blue eyes, unable to decipher the myriad emotions that flicker through them within seconds. Her black hair fans out beneath her, contrasting against the white snow. His stare trails from her eyes, down to her flushed cheeks, and now on her slightly parted lips and the foggy breath she is exhaling. Chandler has never wanted to kiss a woman more in his life.

To Chandler's surprise, Monica reaches her hand up to his face and pulls his head down to kiss him. Chandler angles his head to keep their noses from bumping and shuts his eyes. Instead of crashing, Chandler feels like he's soaring. It's incredible, unexpected, everything he never knew he wanted.

And then he feels a cold snowball being pressed against his back and pulls away, blinking in confusion. The sound of Monica's melodic laughter fills the air as Chandler sits up next to her.

She opens her eyes and grins triumphantly at him. "I won."

Chandler had forgotten about the game until now. Chandler is technically eliminated now.

Chandler raises an eyebrow. "Did you really kiss me just to win a stupid game?" He hopes he doesn't sound too bitter.

Monica shrugs and sits up before sending a flirtatious grin in his direction. _That's new._ "You think I couldn't flip you over if I wanted?"

He's starting to picture Monica tackling him, but his mind clears when he hears Joey's voice. "Hey, did she get you man?"

Chandler glances up at the group standing above him and Monica. "Yeah, she did."

Ross and Joey groan while Phoebe and Rachel walk over to give Monica high fives.

Chandler turns his focus to Joey. "So, I guess you couldn't hold off Phoebe and Rachel?"

Joey rolls his eyes. "No. They won the game."

The women celebrate, taunting the men. Monica, who is always competitive, begins doing some kind of victory dance. Chandler finds it ridiculously adorable, and he doesn't even pretend that the thought is platonic this time.

Chandler stands up, dusting snow off his pants.

"We should go build some snowmen," Phoebe declares. The group strolls off to an open clearing, and Monica and Chandler walk slightly behind the others. Monica winks at him before leaving to go help Rachel start building her snowman. Chandler smiles, feeling that this is a good sign of things to come.


End file.
